Wag the dog: Skepticism on seizure alert canines

Some dogs can signal human seizure activity. Seizure response dogs (SRDs) recognize and respond to ongoing seizure and postseizure compromise, whereas seizure alert dogs (SADs) may warn of impending seizure.1–5 Canine companions may have an additional stress reduction benefit that can lead to decreased seizure frequency.5 In this report we describe a dog that warns of psychogenic nonepileptiform events (PNES) and critically examine the SAD literature. According to the couple that owns her, their 2-year-old Blue Heeler can both alert and respond to seizure activity. The owners (who gave permission to use and publish these data) report that she lies upon the wife, across her chest, both prior to and during her convulsive seizures. Her husband, who also has seizures that the dog can predict, says the dog fetches help from neighbors after seizures or in times of crisis. The wife underwent video EEG telemetry (VEEG). Her recorded events included anterior-to-posterior plane pelvic bucking, …